Chestertown Lions Club promotes family reading with One School, One Book program

Students at H.H. Garnet Elementary School are joining with their parents in reading the same book together during the month of March, thanks to a generous donation from the Chestertown Lions Club.

For this year’s One School-One Book program, Garnet students are reading the Newberry-award-winning book The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. It’s about the transformative power of friendship, along with a theme of animal protection, and was inspired by the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan.

Students were given clues to guess the book title in February. Clues were posted throughout the school in the days leading up to the big reveal at an assembly held on February 28th, wherein additional hints were given through skits and songs.

Once the guess-the-title contest was finished, the books were sent home for families to enjoy a shared reading activity at home. The school encourages the entire family to participate in the One School, One Book program. Studies have shown that kids whose parents read to, and with them will often excel in academic achievement.

Throughout the month of shared reading, a trivia question based on the assigned reading is asked each morning over the PA during the announcements. Prizes are awarded to students who answer the daily question correctly. Students also participate in daily classroom activities about the book. There will be a culminating activity at the end of March.

The Chestertown Lions Club has donated money to the One School, One Book program for several years now. This year’s donation of $4,000 helped the school purchase over 400 copies of The One and Only Ivan.

The Chestertown Lions are proud to support the One School, One Book program as a powerful literacy initiative designed to help an entire school community — children and parents — share a love of books and reading.